MechAssault X3
MechAssault X3 is a BattleMech video game published by Microsoft Studios. It is the third entry of the MechAssault series and the first to be released on the Xbox 360. The game was developed by 10 Days Games and was released in January 2007. The game takes place ten years after the events of Lone Wolf. It follows Nicktoon characters: SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Timmy Turner, Cosmo and Wanda, Jimmy Neutron, Carl Weezer, Sheen Estevez, Mr. Blik, Waffle, and Gordon Quid as they travel the galaxy to stop the Word of Blake Legacy and reunite the long lost Wolf Dragoons. X3 received an amount of hype from MechAssault fans leading up to release. MechAssault X3 sold over two million copies in nine weeks and was the fastest-selling video game of 2007, as well as the third-most played game over Xbox Live during that year. The game received positive reviews from both gaming critics and former MechAssault developer Day 1 Studios, who praised its gameplay and detailed visuals, and it won several "Game of the Year" awards in 2007. Gameplay MechAssault X3, like it's predecessors, is a BattleMech video game, taking place in the BattleTech universe, a science-fiction universe that often centers around pitched battles between human-piloted walking, heavily armed and armored machines, called BattleMechs. The game features a five-act campaign that can be played alone or cooperatively with one other player. Multiplayer Multiplayer MechAssault X3 features up to four-on-four competitive gameplay, with teams representing the Dragoons or the Blake. Players must execute downed foes, otherwise these will revive after a time. Multiplayer modes *'Team Deathmatch' *'Conquer' *'Kill Confirmed' *'Capture the Flag' *'Grindor' Plot X3 is set ten years after the events of MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf. The last of the Wolf Dragoons have dissappeared without a trace. In Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob and Patrick arrive at a factory to deliver 100 Krabby Patties. However, a Stereo Mech captures Patrick and sends SpongeBob to the junkyard. There, SpongeBob finds the BattleArmor from Lone Wolf and Tak who was sealed away by the same factory. Together, they infiltrate the factory and rescue Patrick along with Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Timmy Turner, Cosmo and Wanda, Jimmy Neutron, Carl Weezer, Sheen Estevez, Mr. Blik and his brother Gordon Quid and Waffle, and Jenny "XJ-9" Wakemen. As they continue to infiltrate the factory, the cartoons learn the history of the war between the Wolf Dragoons and the Word of Blake. They head to a launch sight to claim the legendary Icarus DropShip, and set out for adventure. Development 10 Days Games opened in July 2004, a month after the release of MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf. Microsoft Studios announced in October that Lone Wolf would be the last MechAssault game developed by Day 1 Studios. Several employees from the first two MechAssault games provided assistants for the development. X3 was first shown as an unnamed exclusive for the Xbox 360 in a behind-closed-doors presentation by Deus Ex Games at the 2005 Game Developers Conference along with Gears of War. The demo was presented as a technology showcase for Unreal Engine 3 that would run on the Xenon processor at the center of the new Xbox. It showcased a group of human soldiers patrolling a city at night that fell under ambush. The demo was noted for its overall realism, suspense, and visual clarity, helping to reinforce the argument advanced by Epic Games’ founder Tim Sweeney for Microsoft to double the memory in the Xbox 360 from the planned 256k to 512k. This decision that would ultimately cost Microsoft tens of millions of dollars and restrict the number of Xbox 360 consoles available at launch, but allowed Gears of War and many other Xbox 360 games to run at 720p resolution. Release MechAssault X3 was released exclusively on the Xbox 360 on January 9, 2007. It later became available in Japan on January 11. Downloadable Content 10 Days Games released four downloadable contents from February to March. Reception Pre-release MechAssault X3 received a huge amount of hype by MechAssault fans, leading up to it's release. Post-release Upon its release, MechAssault X3 received positive acclaim from critics, maintaining an average review score of 95.62% at GameRankings, 93/100 at Metacritic and 91% on Orange Drink. Most reviewers praised the game for its visuals, presentation and sound, sharing the same quality as Gears of War. IGN's review of the game called it "the most un-forgeting looking game with a sense of style on the Xbox 360" and that "the sound design and story is worthy of awards." While the game received high praise, reviewers did point out that the game did not offer anything significantly new in its core gameplay. The Boat Rider Mech was later featured in an Electronic Gaming Monthly article that discusses its practicality and historical precedents. Keirsey praised the Mech for it's "funny design and heavy weaponry". Former MechAssault developer Day 1 Studios gave their feedback on the game in February 2007, being positive. Sales MechAssault X3 was an immediate successful hit upon its release. The game received one of the most fastest pre-orders in January 2007 with over one million. On January 9, 2007—the day that it was released—it became the most popular game on the Xbox Live service, until the release of Halo 3, overtaking Gears of War which had held the spot since its launch in November 2006, which overtook Halo 2 which had held the spot since its launch in November 2004. X3 was the third most-played game on the Xbox Live service throughout 2007. MechAssault X3 sold one million copies in its first two weeks on sale making it the second fastest-selling Xbox 360 game to date. By March 12, 2007, just ten weeks after its debut, over four million units of the game had been sold. As of November 7, 2008, the game has sold 6.10 million copies worldwide. MechAssault X3 was also the second, after Gears of War, Xbox or Xbox 360 game to sell out and reach the top ten charts in Japan. Awards Leading up to the game's release, MechAssault X3 was one of the most anticipated games of 2007. The game premiered during the 2006 E3 show and won several awards at following 2006 E3 show prior to the game's release. These included the Game Critics Awards for "Best Console Game" and "Best Action Game", IGN's "Best 360 Action Game", "Best 360 Multiplayer Game", and "Best Overall Multiplayer Experience", and GameSpy's "Best Console Multiplayer", "Best Action Game", and "Xbox 360 Game of Show". Return Edition In 2016, Microsoft Studios digitally remastered and released all three MechAssault games on the Xbox One under the name, the Return Edition. References Category:MechAsault Category:Games Category:Fan Games Category:2007 Category:Xbox 360 Games Category:Games by PeTe_2014 Category:Day 10 Games Category:10 Days Games